St. Josephs Catholic College Katherine eNewsletter Term 02 - Week 10
Principal's Message
Dear Parents and Carers,
As we wrap up a busy and productive Term2, I want to take a moment to thank our students, staff, and families for the dedication, resilience, and enthusiasm you have shown throughout the term. We have had a packed schedule filled with learning, enrichment activities, and opportunities to come together as a community.
One of the highlights this term was our College Athletics Carnival. It was a fantastic day, full of energy and school spirit. It was wonderful to see so many parents and caregivers attending to support our students—your presence truly helped make the day special. The student participation was outstanding, and the encouragement and sportsmanship on display were a joy to witness.
A big thank you to Ms Baillie-Mace for her leadership and organisation of the event, and to all staff who helped ensure the day ran smoothly. Special thanks also go to Ms Sharples and her team of senior students who kept everyone well-fed and hydrated—your service and teamwork were very much appreciated!
As we move into our three-week dry season break, I encourage everyone to take this time to rest, recharge, and spend quality time with loved ones. Holidays are a precious opportunity to reset before the final term of the year.
I’d also like to leave you with a reflection. A recent survey of 1,000 parents commissioned by the Disney Entertainment Group found that many of the basics of good old-fashioned courtesy—words like please, thank you, may I?, and excuse me—are being used less frequently by children today. This is not just a passing concern. Good manners and courtesy are foundational to building respectful, lasting relationships, and they begin at home.
In a society that moves at a rapid pace, where screens sometimes replace face-to-face interaction, it becomes even more important to model and teach our children kindness, respect, and empathy. Polite, honest, and cooperative children grow into thoughtful adults who can work with others, resolve conflicts peacefully, and contribute positively to their communities.
Manners are respect in action.
Let’s continue to plant those seeds—through both words and actions—and nurture them consistently. As one anonymous author beautifully put it:
I have super manners, yes I do.
I can say please and thank you too.
When I play with my friends, I like to share—
That’s the way I show I care.
Wishing all our students and families a safe, joyful, and well-deserved break. I look forward to welcoming you back in Term 3 refreshed and ready to develop their full potential.
Peace and best wishes,
Sunniva Antonucci
Principal
Primary News
ASIP - Heggerty's Program
Transition & Yr 1 - Mitre 10 Excursion
Transition, Year 1 & 5/6M - Trembath's Farm Excursion
Secondary News
Plants for SPACE
Our Years 5-8 students had an absolutely out-of-this-world experience this Tuesday and Wednesday, engaging in the incredible "Plants for Space" program!
They weren't just learning about space; they were diving deep into the future of food in orbit! Our budding astronauts explored fascinating topics like:
- Growing food in the unique environment of space
- The groundbreaking 2030 International Space Station orbiting Mars - Gateway
- The exciting mission to Mars to cultivate food
- Innovating by 3D printing furniture from waste materials in space
- Designing models of future space communities
- The mind-bending world of genetically modifying plants for space travel (did you know a strawberry can go from seed to ripe fruit in just 7 days in space?!
)
It was a truly engaging few days that sparked curiosity and inspired our students to think about the incredible possibilities of space exploration and sustainability! Well done, everyone!
Little Joeys News
We’ve had such an exciting and imaginative month at Little Joey’s! The children have been busy learning, playing, and exploring through a wide range of hands-on activities.
Here's a little peek at what we've been up to.
💪 Mini Mover’s Program: Lydia from Conscio Fit
We had a fantastic final visit from Lydia at Conscio Fit, who led us through a fun and active movement session. The children loved dancing, stretching, and moving their bodies in new ways. These sessions have helped build strength, coordination, and confidence—for our children and educators!!!
This Little Joeys ELC Sports Day!
It was a fabulous celebration of fun, movement, and togetherness under the glorious dry season skies. The energy was high, the smiles were wide, and the joy was contagious! ⭐
We were so fortunate to be supported by our amazing Sports Coordinator, Sarah, and her fantastic team of student helpers. They collaborated to set up the experiences and guided the children through each event with enthusiasm and care. A heartfelt thank you to them for making the day run so smoothly ❤️
These activities were specially chosen to complement the skills we’ve been developing in previous weeks during our Mini Movers and Fundamental Movement sessions. To wrap up our energetic morning, every child received a participation ribbon to celebrate their wonderful efforts. We then gathered to enjoy a delicious sausage sizzle lunch.
We would like to send a big thank you to all the family members who joined us—it means so much to the children (and to us!) to have you there, cheering them on and sharing in the joy.
Snake Safety Visit from Ranger Stacey
We had a very special visit from our favourite Ranger, Ranger Stacey, who came to talk to us all about snakes and how to stay safe around them. Her visit was especially timely, following a recent discovery of a small snake in our preschool yard.
Ranger Stacey spoke with the children about what to do if they see a snake and who they should tell to help keep everyone safe. She brought along some amazing resources, including a real snakeskin, colourful booklets about snakes found in the Northern Territory, and a detailed book that helps with snake identification. After the visit the children explored their knowledge by having opportunities to create their own snakes in art pieces. Some of the children collaborated to create a large community snake mural. Others choose to use clay as a medium to create individual snakes complete with scale patterns, they made using the edge of a pop stick.
Pizza Shop Fun in Home Corner
Our home corner has transformed into a bustling Pizza Shop, and it’s been a big hit! The children have loved creating their own pizzas, taking orders, and pretending to be chefs and customers. This dramatic play experience has supported their creativity, communication, and early numeracy as they counted toppings and handled “money.”
👶 Caring for Babies
In another area of home corner, we’ve been exploring the world of babies. The children have shown lots of empathy and nurturing skills as they cared for baby dolls—feeding them, changing nappies, and putting them to bed. This kind of role-play helps develop social skills, language, and emotional understanding.
🐸 Tiddalik the Greedy Frog
We’ve been reading and retelling the classic Aboriginal Dreamtime story Tiddalik the Greedy Frog. The children have enjoyed acting out the story and learning about water conservation, emotions, and the importance of sharing. It’s also been a lovely way to connect with First Nations culture through storytelling.
Cooking Damper
For Reconciliation Week celebrations, the Little Joeys participated in a damper-making cooking experience. The children were very excited to make the damper themselves.
Before we began, the educator reminded everyone to wash their hands thoroughly with soap and water. Once ready, we started by adding the ingredients into a large bowl one by one—flour, butter, egg, and sour milk. Using a spatula, the children helped mix all the ingredients together to form a dough.
As the dough came together, the children joyfully exclaimed that it looked like playdough, as they are often involved in helping educators make playdough during other activities. Once the dough was ready, we sent it to Miss Jacquie to bake in the oven.
The damper turned out beautifully and was enjoyed by all the children during lunchtime, served with homemade Rosella jam. We also showed the children printed pictures of Rosella flowers and explained how the jam is made. Most of the children really enjoyed the sweet Rosella jam on top of their damper.
It’s Show Time
This week we have been busy getting the children’s ideas and starting our show entries. We love the excitement that show time brings!!
What a great way to end a busy term. We wish everyone going away a safe and restful break.
The Little Joey’s Team
Library News
School News / Events
Important Traffic Reminder: Keeping Our School Zone Safe
Introducing Toddle: Your New School Communication Hub
We're excited to announce the introduction of Toddle, our new Learning Management System! Toddle is designed to enhance communication between teachers and families, making it easier to share student work, communicate about behaviour, and access student reports.
As we gradually roll out Toddle to our teachers and the wider school community, we kindly request that all families download the Toddle App. Please sign up using the same email address you use for official school correspondence. You'll receive instructions with your printed reports this semester, with login instructions and a unique code to link your children to your parent account.
Toddle is being implemented across all NT Catholic Education Schools over the next two years. Our initial focus will be on A-E reports. As teachers become more familiar and skilled with the system, we'll progressively introduce more features and access for parents and carers.
For this initial reporting period, as we transition to Toddle, you will still receive a printed copy of your child's reports via mail. You will also have digital access to these reports through Toddle. Moving forward to Semester 2 reports, all copies will be accessed digitally through Toddle, with printed copies available only upon request.
📱 From your smartphone
- Get the app
Download the “Toddle Family” app from the App Store (for iOS) or Play Store (for Android).
💻 From your computer
- Open the web app
Open a web browser, and visit: web.toddleapp.com/account/cent.
Please use these help guides when first signing up to Toddle Family.
- How do I sign up as a first-time user on Toddle as a family member?
- How to navigate Toddle on the app as a family member?
- How can I add another child to my family account?
Canteen Menu 2025 - Term 3
Career Opportunities
Community Events & News
Story Book Festival - Katherine Regional Arts
School Holiday Program - Katherine
